West Ryde slot horror as bettor is stabbed for his $2700 win by jealous gambler who had just lost thousands in Sydney pub
Chilling video shows the moment a man is slashed with a knife and then stabbed in the chest for his $2,700 winnings while playing pokies at a Sydney hotel.
Jonathon Antonios Habib, 23, pleaded guilty to assault with intent to steal, armed with an offensive weapon in Downing Center District Court on Friday.
Habib had been drinking and betting on poker machines at Ryedales Tavern in West Ryde, in the northwest of the city, on August 15, 2022, the court heard.
After Habib had gradually lost about $2,000, he spotted another man sitting nearby as they won $2,700 after putting just $100 into one of the poker machines.
Habib left the playroom but returned half an hour later armed with a steak knife and attempted to rob the man, resulting in a 90-second scuffle which left the victim with multiple injuries .
The 90-second assault on the Rydales Tavern games room in Sydney’s north-west left a pub-goer with cuts to his arm and a puncture wound to his chest
CCTV footage shows the moment a punter is stabbed for his $2,700 win in a Sydney pub
The man was facing the poker machine when Habib came up behind him, tapped him on the arm and ordered him to ‘get your money out’, reports the Hills County Schedules.
The video shows Habib, wearing a high-vis sweater, grabbing the man and swinging the knife wildly, slicing through his sweater, as the victim tries to get up from his stool.
Habib repeated “I want all your money” in the pub before stabbing him in the left side of the chest, the court heard.
The man, who was immediately in pain, then steps forward in an attempt to leave the room, but Habib, who turned and ran after stabbing him, turns around and can be seen pushing him back against a window pane.
The couple then got into a fight again, causing a cut to Habib’s hand, before fleeing when the man called passers-by to alert the police.
The victim suffered cuts to the arm and a small puncture to the chest.
Johnathon Habib then turned and ran after stabbing the man in the chest as other onlookers watched in shock
But as the man tried to leave, he turned around and pushed his victim back into a window.
The court heard that Habib was drinking heavily the night of the assault and had persistent, untreated alcohol, drug and mental health issues.
He had also recently developed a gambling problem with regard to poker machines in particular and claimed that his behavior was partly due to his alcohol and drug use and partly due to the “influence of his social circle” .
Judge Georgia Turner said the assault was ‘serious and sustained’ but admitted his behavior was likely affected by his ‘abuse’ of alcohol and drugs and his mental health.
Habib called his actions “horrible” and said he felt “so much sorrow” not only for the victim, but also for his family and for those who witnessed his attack.
Judge Turner noted his remorse and that he had the support of his family but that his rehabilitation would depend on his ability to stay clean of alcohol and drugs.
He was sentenced to three years and three months in prison and will be eligible for parole after one year and 11 months.
